Our View: Forget Forbes; Rockford is what you make it

Monday

Feb 25, 2013 at 12:01 AMFeb 25, 2013 at 10:55 AM

Forbes. Money. Wall Street 24/7. Doesn’t matter, someone always seems to be ready to take a shot at Rockford. Sometimes it’s the city’s own residents. For those of you who missed it last week, Forbes has ranked Rockford as the third most miserable city in the U.S.

Forbes. Money. Wall Street 24/7. Doesn’t matter, someone always seems to be ready to take a shot at Rockford. Sometimes it’s the city’s own residents.

For those of you who missed it last week, Forbes has ranked Rockford as the third most miserable city in the U.S.

We’re not miserable. If you are, perhaps you should look in the mirror. Life is what you make it whether it’s in Rockford, Chicago or New York, two cities that joined us on Forbes’ top 10 list. You probably know people who would be miserable no matter what and others who are in good cheer even after their lives have taken an unfortunate turn.

Just take a look at the comments on our Facebook page. Some defend the city they call home and others think Forbes was charitable by ranking Rockford third.

Rockford is the regional center for the arts, culture, shopping, politics, health care and jobs. The Coronado Performing Arts Center, Anderson Gardens, the Nicholas Conservatory & Gardens, the Discovery Center, Burpee Museum of Natural History, the Laurent House, Klehm Arboretum, Tinker Swiss Cottage and other sites have received national acclaim.

The Park District’s golf courses have been ranked as some of the best in the country. Sports Illustrated picked Rockford as the top “Sportstown” in Illinois in 2004. Sure, that’s been a while, but initiatives like Reclaiming First, once complete, probably will bring that title to town again.

There are great people here, people with wonderful, inspiring stories. Don’t take our word for it, check out the work of filmmaker Pablo Korona. His “Our City, Our Story” series tells us stories that remind us of “who we really are” (pablokorona.com, kickstarter.com).

You also should visit exhilaraterockford.com, a website where folks can go to post their positive thoughts about the community.

Rockford natives Michael and Daniel Hopkins, who created the site, believe in their hometown and want others to share their feelings about the Forest City.

Last year, when Forbes ranked Rockford ninth most miserable, we wrote that the city is more than a set of numbers. The numbers Forbes looked at indeed are bad: violent crime, unemployment rates, foreclosures, taxes (income and property), home prices and political corruption.

Some of those numbers are trending in the right direction. The jobless rate is in double digits but the year-over-year rate has declined for 30 straight months. Taxes are high, but the School District has cut its levy. Home sales are starting to pick up.

Rockford has work to do, sure, but so do other cities. New York? What happened to if you can make it there you can make it anywhere?

You can accuse us of boosterism and you’d be right. However, Rockford is a better place than what the national publications and some of its own residents give it credit for.